















































Books by 

ANNIE KLINGENSMITH 


Household Stories 
Just Stories 
Fireside Stories 
Stories of Norse Gods and 
Heroes 
Norse Myths 
Norse Heroes 
Norse Legends 


Published by 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 





/ 

Fireside Stories 


BY 

ANNIE KLINGENSMITH 

n i 

\ 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

DOROTHY DULIN 



1923 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 



V 

COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 



Printed in the United States of America 


M -8 '23 v 

C1A692760 





THE STORIES 

Anyone who has been associated with children 
knows their delight in the story, pure and simple— 
in the story for the story’s sake. 

An attempt is here made to provide stories that 
are, first of all, stories. Many of them will enhance 
the children’s interest in the other work of the school; 
many of them embody a moral that is not stated form¬ 
ally; a few of them are simply stories and jingles for 
the children’s amusement and to give exercise in 
learning to read independently. 


The Brown Baby. 7 

What Shall We Wrap the Baby in?. 10 

Agoonack . 10 

What Broke the China Pitcher?. 14 

Choosing a King. 19 

Brownie . 23 

The Woman and the Dog. 27 

The Dove and Her Children. 29 

Taming the Pig. 31 

A Steady Spinner. 35 

The Spider and the Dove. 35 














The Little Blue Egg. 37 

The Lion and the Mouse. 40 

The Frogs and the Ox. 41 

A Good Joke. 45 

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse. 48 

The Wind and the Sun. 50 

The Dog and His Image. 52 

The Three Wishes. 52 

Jack and the Beanstalk. 56 

How the Straw Was Spun into Gold. 64 

Jack. 71 

The Fisherman and His Wife. 74 

Dandelion Down. 80 

Robin and All the Rest. 83 

Dandelion. 84 

Dandelions . 85 

Winter and Spring. 87 

The Shepherd Boy Who Killed the Giant. 92 

The Slave Who Became a Ruler. 98 

Alfred the Great.107 

The King and the Spider.112 

The Man Who Was to Mind the House.115 

Little Black Sambo.121 

























FIRESIDE STORIES 


THE BROWN BABY 



“Her mother sits under the trees and sings her a sweet song” 


The little brown baby lives far away in 
a warm country. She has a brown face. She 
has little brown hands and fingers. She has 
brown feet and toes. Her hair is very 
straight and black. 


7 


8 FIRESIDE STORIES 

The brown baby does not wear a dress. 
She does not wear shoes and stockings. It 
is warm where she lives. So she does not 
need to wear clothes. She plays out of doors 
every day. It is never too cold. 

She sees the monkeys. They climb among 
the trees. They hang by their tails. They 
chatter to her. She sees green and red par¬ 
rots. Often she plays with little gold-col¬ 
ored snakes. 

The brown baby eats cocoanuts. She has 
a little cup made from a cocoanut shell. 
Sometimes she drinks cocoanut milk from it. 
She eats bananas and oranges and other nice 
fruit. But she has never seen bread and but¬ 
ter. She has never dreamed of ice cream or 
candy. 

At night she sleeps in a hammock. The 
hammock is in a tree. Her father made it 
of vines for her. The wind rocks the little 
hammock. Her mother sits under the tree 
and sings her a sweet song. Soon she is fast 
asleep. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


9 


If she wakes up she sees the stars. Some¬ 
times she sees the little birds with their heads 
under their wings. 

The monkeys often curl up near her and 
go to sleep. 

All night long the wind rocks the little 
brown baby. The moon shines down on her. 
The leaves rustle softly. 

In the morning the great round sun comes 
up. 

He shines on the brown baby’s eyes. The 
birds and monkeys call to her. 

Soon her eyes are wide open. Then her 
mother comes and takes her down. She dips 
her into the brook for a bath. She rolls her 
in the grass to dry. 

Then the little brown baby has her break¬ 
fast. 

After that she plays with the birds and 
monkeys and flowers. 

Adapted from "Seven Little Sisters 


10 FIRESIDE STORIES 

WHAT SHALL WE WRAP 
THE BABY IN? 

What shall we wrap the baby in? 

Silks are too coarse, and velvets too rough, 
Snowiest linens not half white enough; 

A web for his blanket what fairy will spin? 
What shall we wrap the baby in? 

Lucy Larcom. 


AGOONACK 

Agoonack lives far away in the north. 
She is a little Eskimo girl. Her face is round 
and fat and dark. Her hair is black and 
straight. 

Her mother makes her stockings of the 
skins of birds. The down is turned in to 
keep her feet warm. She has seal skin 
moccasins instead of shoes. 

Agoonack wears no dress as little girls do 
here. She has trousers of white bear skin. 
She has a bear skin jacket made like a 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


11 



sweater. She has a little hood like Red 
Riding Hood’s, only hers is made of fur. 

Here she comes now, running over the 
snow after her mother. 

It is night. The stars are shining. It 
has been dark a long time. The night lasts 
several weeks. The Eskimos go to bed and 
get up again many times in one night. Then 
there is a long, long day. 




12 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Agoonack and her mother are coming 
home from a visit. The moonlight is almost 
as bright as day. 

This is Agoonack’s house. It is built of 
blocks of stone. It has only one room. The 
bed is made of blocks of ice. 

What is this at the door? A little sled! 
It is Agoonack’s birthday. Her father made 
her this sled. 

What a queer sled! It is made of bone. 
The Eskimos have no wood. 

By and by the puppies will be big enough 
to draw the sled. Then Agoonack will learn 
to drive them. 

But we must go into the little house with 
Agoonack and her mother. The door is very 
low, to keep out the cold. 

We must get down on our hands and knees 
to creep in. 

There is no stove. There is only a little 
lamp for cooking and heating and lighting. 
It is filled with fat. It has a moss wick. 
The lamp keeps the little house very warm. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


13 



Agoonack and her mother take oft their fur 
clothes when they come in. 

What is there for dinner? There are no 
potatoes, there is no bread or cake, no sugar, 
no pudding. There is nothing but meat. 

Agoonack often eats the meat raw. Some¬ 
times she has it frozen hard. She likes noth¬ 
ing better than a piece of fat. She likes it 
as well as children of our country like candy. 

Agoonack has a little brother. He is only 
a little baby. He rides in his mother’s hood 
whgn she takes him out. 

To-night there is a feast in Agoonack’s 


14 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


home. Her father has killed a bear. All the 
Eskimos in the village are invited. They 
will eat and laugh and sing. 

Agoonack will have a good time, too. She 
will hear the stories they tell. She will have 
nice pieces of fat given her. No one will for¬ 
get that it is her birthday. 

Adapted from “Seven Little Sisters 


WHAT BROKE THE CHINA PITCHER? 

It was a winter night. It was still, bright, 
and cold. Katy stood by the sitting room 
window, looking out. “It’s going to be a 
bad night,” said her father. “It’s growing 
colder every minute.” 

“Is it 1 ?” said Katy’s mother. “Then, Katy, 
you must go up to the spare room and empty 
the china pitcher.” 

“Yes. Mamma,” said Katy; but she didn’t 
go. 

Katy’s mother was rocking the baby to 
sleep. Ten minutes passed by. Then she 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


15 


spoke again, “Go, Katy, and empty the 
pitcher. It was your grandmother’s pitcher 
and I would not have it broken for any¬ 
thing.” 

“Yes, Mamma, I’ll go in a minute,” said 
Katy. 

“Well, dear, be sure to remember,” said 
her mother; and she went to lay the baby 
down. 

Just then Jamie came in with some new 
skates, and Katy forgot all about the pitcher. 
Jack Frost was outside. He laughed and 
snapped his icy fingers. 

“That little girl will not empty the 
pitcher,” said he to himself. “She is one of 
the careless kind. I know them. 

“Now, little Miss, I’ll just go in and punish 
you for not doing at once what you were told 
to do. 

“The spare room is for visitors. I’ll go in 
and spend the night there. Where is it, I 
wonder? I’ll look for it.” 

Jack Frost went around the house softly 


16 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


and looked in at the kitchen window. 

Inside was a great red-hot stove. On it was 
a teakettle sending out clouds of steam. 

Jack Frost shook his head. “That is no 
place for me,” he said. “It would kill me in 
a minute. I won’t go in there.” 

He went on, looking in at one window after 
another. At last he found a room where 
there was no fire. 

“This must be the spare room. Yes; there 
is the very pitcher I mean to break. 

“It is a pity to break so pretty a pitcher,” 
he said, “hut Katy should have emptied it.” 

He stole quietly in, making everything he 
touched cold. He climbed up on the wash- 
stand and looked into the pitcher. 

“There is not much water, but I’ll make it 
do,” said he. Then he put his icy fingers into 
the pitcher. 

The water shivered and shrank. “Oh,” it 
cried, “I am so cold;” and it shrank more and 
more. Soon it called out, “If you don’t go 
away, Jack Frost, I shall freeze.” 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


17 



“Jack Frost made some beautiful pictures on the windows” 


“Good,” laughed Jack Frost, “that is just 
what I want you to do.” 

All at once many little voices came from 
the pitcher. They sounded like sleigh bells 
in Fairyland. 

“Ho, ho!” they cried, “Jack Frost is mak¬ 
ing us into beautiful crystals.” 

Then the drops of water began to turn into 
crystals. But, in doing this, they grew larger 

















18 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


and pushed very hard against the sides of 
the pitcher. 

The poor pitcher cried out, “Don’t push 
me so hard. I am afraid I shall break.” 

“We can’t help it,” said the drops. 

“We are freezing and we must have more 
room.” 

The pitcher groaned and cried out again, 
“Don’t! don’t! I can’t keep from breaking!” 

But the drops only said, “We can’t help 
it. We must have more room.” 

At last with a loud cry the poor pitcher 
cracked. 

Jack Frost made some beautiful pictures 
on the windows. Then he stole away softly. 

In the morning the china pitcher lay upon 
the washstand in pieces. 

Katy wished that she had gone to empty 
the pitcher as soon as her mother told her 
to go. But being sorry couldn’t make the 
pitcher whole again. 

From "Cat-Tails and Other Tales,” published by 
A. Flanagan Company. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 

CHOOSING A KING 


19 



The birds came together to choose a king 


Once upon a time the birds came together' 
to choose a king. 






20 


FIRESIDE STORIES 



They talked a long time. At last they 
said, “The one that can fly the highest shall 
be king.” 

The wren hid in the feathers on the eagle’s 
back. The eagle did not know he was there. 

All the birds flew and flew as high as they 
could. The eagle flew much higher than the 
others. 

At last he could fly no higher. The wren 
darted out and flew as high as he could. 










FIRESIDE STORIES 


21 



“The owl stayed to watch” 


Then he flew down crying, “I am king! I 
am king!” 

All the birds were angry. They said, “We 
do not want that little bird for king.” 

So they talked a long time again. At last 
they said, “The one who goes deepest into 
the earth shall be king.” 

At that the rooster began to scratch. The 
duck jumped into a hole and stubbed his big 
toe. 

But the wren found a mouse hole and 
crept into it. 

He called up, “I am king! I am king!” 


22 


FIRESIDE STORIES 



“He vowed never to sleep at night again” 


The birds said, “We will not have him for 
king. We will kill him.” 

They watched the hole till dark, but the 
wren would not come out. 

The birds had to take their children home. 
The owl had no children, so he stayed to 
watch. 

He was sleepy. He thought he could watch 
the hole with one eye at a time and sleep 
with the other. 

While he was changing eyes, the wren 






FIRESIDE STORIES 


23 


crept out and flew away, crying, “I am king! 
I am king!” 

The owl was so angry with himself that 
he vowed never to sleep at night again. He 
was angry with mice, too, for digging holes. 
To this day he sleeps in day time and catches 
mice at night. 


BROWNIE 

Once there was a little squirrel called 
Brownie. She was a tame squirrel but she 
did not live in a cage. She had a much bet¬ 
ter time than that. She lived on a beautiful 
green lawn. There were many oak trees on 
the lawn. 

The woodpeckers had made holes in the 
trees for nests. Brownie had her home in 
one of these. The woodpeckers had left it, 
so she took it. 

In the fall Brownie gathered acorns for 
winter. She buried them in the ground. She 


24 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


would dig a hole and put one acorn into it. 
Then she would pat the ground down with 
her paw. No one could see the place. The 
squirrel could not find enough food for win¬ 
ter. There were only acorns on the lawn 
where she lived. So the people in the house 
kept nuts for her. In the winter she came 
for them. 

The windows reached down to the floor. 
Brownie would come up on the porch. She 
would sit up on her hind legs and look in. 
Then she would scratch on the glass like a 
iittle dog. Somebody was sure to hear her 
and take her some nuts. 

Sometimes the children held the nuts tight 
so that she could not get them. But she al¬ 
ways scratched their hands with her hard 
little claws. This made the children drop 
the nuts. 

Then she picked them up in her front 
paws. Her paws were like little hands, so 
she could hold a nut and gnaw a hole in it. 
Her teeth were so sharp and hard that she 





FIRESIDE STORIES 


25 


could gnaw a hole in a hickory nut very 
quickly. 

One time Brownie was gone a long time. 
The people in the house thought she was 
dead. One day they heard her scratch, 
scratch at the window. 

They all ran to see. There 
was Brownie begging for 
nuts. 

As soon as she ate them 
she ran away. She went up 
her oak-tree and into her 
house. What do you sup- 
pose she had 
there? Three 
tiny little baby 
squirrels. Their 
eyes were shut 
like little kit¬ 
tens’ eyes. 

Brownie 

Was very “g ome one was sure to hear her and take 
fond of the her some nuts” 























26 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


little squirrels. She lay beside them all 
the time to keep them warm. 

By and by their eyes were open. They 
wanted to come out of the hole, but Brownie 
knew they were too little. She only let them 
look out. 

Sometimes she lay just outside the door 
and slept. Then the little squirrels tried to 
come out. But Brownie always woke up. 
What do you think she did? She just 
slapped the naughty little squirrels with her 
paw. 

That made them go back. 

When they were old enough she brought 
them out, one at a time. She wanted to teach 
them to climb. The little squirrels did not 
like to try. They were afraid of falling. 
Brownie got behind each one and pushed 
him with her head, so he had to climb a 
little. 

When the lesson was over Brownie petted 
the little squirrel. Then she picked him up 
and carried him to the nest. She took him 





FIRESIDE STORIES 


27 


by the stomach. The little squirrel curled 
his tail around himself. He looked like a 
ball of fur. 

Before long the little squirrels were as 
large as their mother. She brought them to 
the window for nuts. 

The people in the house called them Hop, 
Skip, and Jump, because they played so 
much. 


THE WOMAN AND THE DOG 

The king rode out in his chariot. In the 
street he saw a woman who had committed 
a crime. 

Soldiers were leading her out to die. Her 
face was white with terror. Tears rolled 
down her cheeks. 

It was just at noon. A. hot wind was blow¬ 
ing. The sun was like fire. 

People crowded up to the public fountain 
to drink. A poor dog came to drink but he 


28 


FIRESIDE STORIES 



could not reach the water. He fell beside the 
fountain dying of thirst. 

When the woman came by, she begged 
the soldiers to let her stop a moment. Then 
she took off her slipper and filled it with 
water for the dog to drink. 

















FIRESIDE STORIES 


29 


The dog drank and licked her hand. Then 
he followed her, the only friend she had in 
that great city. 

The king saw this and called to the sol¬ 
diers, “Take off her chains, she shall not die.” 

Then to the woman he said, “The law is 
that you should die. But I cannot be less 
kind to you than you have been to this poor 
beast. Go to your home in peace.” 


THE DOVE AND HER CHILDREN 

There was once a man who wished very 
much to be good. He set off on a long jour¬ 
ney to see a prophet. He thought the 
prophet could tell him how. 

On the way he went through a forest. 
There he heard the cries of young doves. 
He stopped to look. In a tree he saw the 
nest. Beside it cooed the mother dove. 

The man climbed to the nest. He took 
the young doves and tied them in his hand- 


30 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


71 

kerchief. Then he went on his way. The 
mother dove followed him, but he did not 
see her. 

When he came to the prophet’s house, the 
prophet came out to meet him. 

“See the young doves I have brought as a 
present,” said the man. 

But the prophet saw the mother dove in a 
palm-tree near by. 

“Open the handkerchief,” said he. The 
man did so and put the little doves on the 
ground at the prophet’s feet. 

Down flew the mother dove and spread her 
wings over them. 

“See,” said the prophet, “how this poor 
dove loves her young ones. She is braver 
than the soldier who rides against the spear 
points. Put the young ones back into the 
nest. She claims them.” 

So the man took the little doves back to 
the nest, and the mother followed him all 
the way. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


31 


TAMING THE PIG 

Once upon a time there were two little 
boys named Tommy and Harry. These two 
boys were good friends and played together 
every day. 

One day Harry found a chicken that was 
very much hurt. He took it home and made 
it a little bed. He fed it and gave it water 
every day. Soon the little chicken was well. 
It would run after Harry like a little dog. 
It would hop up on his lap and eat out of 
his hand. 

Tommy was very much pleased with 
Harry’s pet chicken. He thought he would 
like a pet himself. 

His father said, “If you want to tame ani¬ 
mals, you must be good to them. Be kind 
to them and feed them. Then they will come 
to you.” 

Tommy took a big cake and went out to 
find an animal to tame. The first one he 
found was a little pig. It had run away 


32 FIRESIDE STORIES 

from its mother and was sleeping in the sun. 

Tommy ran up to it, calling, “Pig, pig, pig. 
Come here, little pig!” 

The little pig jumped up and ran away. 
It was very much frightened. Tommy ran 
after it, calling, “You bad little pig! come 
here; I want to feed you.” But the little pig 
ran faster and faster. 

So Tommy ran faster till he caught it by 
the leg. “If you do not know your friends, 
I must teach you,” he said. Then he held 
the little pig and tried to make it eat. But 
the little pig would not eat. It began to 
squeal for its mother. The mother pig came 
running with all her other little pigs at her 
heels. 

Tommy was frightened, and let the little 
pig go. It ran between his legs and threw 
him down. The old pig ran over him, and 
he was covered with mud. 

Tommy jumped up and caught the old 
pig by the leg, and began to beat her. She 
ran all around, dragging him in the mud. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


33 



Tommy held on till he was dragged into a 
flock of geese. The geese were frightened, 
but one old goose flew at Tommy and bit his 
legs. At this Tommy let go and began to 
scream. Tommy’s father came running to 
help him. 

“What is wrong?” said he. “Why did you 
catch the pig by the leg?” 

“I was only doing what you told me to 
do,” said Tommy. “I was trying to feed the 
pig and make it tame.” 



34 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


“Are you hurt?” asked his father. 

“No, I am not much hurt,” said Tommy. 

“Then go and wash yourself and put on 
clean clothes,” said his father. “When you 
come back we will talk it over.” 

Tommy soon came back, looking much 
better. 

“When did I tell you to catch a pig by the 
leg?” asked his father. 

“You said that if I fed animals I would 
make them like me,” said Tommy. “The pig 
ran away. It wouldn’t eat.” 

“How was the pig to know what you 
wanted?” said his father. “It thought you 
wanted to hurt it. When you want to tame 
any animal, you must wait till you find out 
something about it. You must go up to it 
slowly and quietly. 

“If it is frightened, you must not touch 
it. You must wait till it sees that you are 
not going to hurt it. Then it will come to you 
to be fed. By and by it will be as tame as 
Harry’s chicken.” 





FIRESIDE STORIES 35 

A STEADY SPINNER 

The spider wears a plain brown dress, 
And she is a steady spinner; 

To see her, quiet as a mouse, 

Going about her silver house, 

You would never, never guess 
The way she gets her dinner. 

Cary. 


THE SPIDER AND THE DOVE 

There was once a good man who was kind 
to all creatures. No living thing feared him. 

This good man had enemies who wished 
to kill him. 

When he found it out, he went away into 
the desert to hide. 

Men were sent after him on horses. He 
did not see them till they were close to him. 
They caught sight of him and spurred their 
horses. 

He ran behind some rocks. The men on 


36 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


the horses could not see him for a moment. 
In the rocks he saw a cave and went in. 

A spider was just spinning her web across 
the door. 

The good man was careful not to break 
her threads. 

Just inside a dove sat upon her eggs. He 
took time to step over her carefully. 

The spider went on spinning her web. 
The dove sat quietly upon her eggs. Her 
mate cooed beside her. 

In a moment up came the men. 

“He must be in this cave/’ said one. 

“No,” said another. “See the spiders web. 
Not a thread is broken. Look at the dove. 
How quietly she sits on her nest. No one 
has gone into the cave to-day.” 

So they rode away and the good man’s 
life was saved. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


37 


THE LITTLE BLUE EGG 

Once there was a little white duck and she 
lived in a little green pond. One day she 
laid a little blue egg. It was the very first 
egg she had ever laid. She thought it was 
the most beautiful egg in the world. 



“I have your beautiful blue egg” 

She stayed at home nearly all day to look 
at it. But by and by she grew very hungry. 
So she went away to find some food. While 
she was away a big brown water rat came 
and took the little blue egg to his house. 



























38 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


The little white duck hurried home. She 
wanted to look at her beautiful blue egg 
again. But it was gone. 

She almost fainted. Her poor little heart 
beat so hard, she thought she would choke. 
She quacked and cried, and cried and 
quacked till tears pattered down like rain. 

The naughty water rat heard her. But he 
did not come out of his hole for a long time. 
At last he looked out and said, “I have your 
beautiful blue egg.” 

The little duck came flying and swimming 
both at once. 

“Oh please give me my beautiful little blue 
egg,” she begged. “I will do anything you 
ask.” 

“Bring me a carrot, then,” said the water 
rat. “I like carrots much better.” 

So off went the little white duck to the 
gardener. “Oh, Mr. Gardener, please give 
me a carrot, and I will give it to the water 
rat, and he will give me my beautiful little 
blue egg.” But the gardener said, “You 




FIRESIDE STORIES 


39 


must first give me a spade. Then I can dig 
the carrot for you.” 

So off she went to the foundry. “Oh, 
please make me a spade, and I will give it 
to the gardener, and the gardener will give 
me a carrot, and I will give the water rat 
the carrot, and the water rat will give me 
my beautiful little blue egg.” 

But the molder said, “Give me some iron 
and I will make a spade for you.” 

So off she went to the miner and said, “Oh, 
Mr. Miner, please give me some iron, and I 
will give the iron to the molder, and the 
molder will give me a spade, and I will give 
the spade to the gardener, and the gardener 
will give me a carrot, and I will give the 
carrot to the water rat, and the water rat will 
give me my beautiful little blue egg.” 

So the miner gave her some iron. She 
took the iron to the molder, and the molder 
gave her a spade. She took the spade to the 
gardener and the gardener gave her a carrot. 
She took the carrot to the water rat and the 


40 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


water rat gave her the beautiful little blue 

egg. 

And the little white duck hatched a little 
yellow duckling out of the little blue egg 
and they lived together in the little green 
pond and were happy forever after. 

THE LION AND THE MOUSE ' 

A lion lay asleep in the forest. A mouse 
came out and looked at him. Then it ran 
over the lion’s back and nose. The lion 
sneezed and woke up. He put his paw up 
to his nose and very quickly caught the 
mouse. 

The mouse cried out, “Do not kill me. I 
am so little and you are so big. Let me go 
and I will help you some day.” 

At that the lion dropped the mouse and 
laughed loud and long. 

Then he said, “How could a little mouse 
help a big lion? Run along home. I shall not 
hurt you.” 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


41 


A few days after, the lion was caught in 
a trap made of ropes. He tried to get out 
but he could not. He roared and roared. 
The mouse ran to him. “Oh, please be 
quiet,” said the mouse. “The hunter will 
hear you.” 

Then the little mouse set to work with all 
its might. In a short time it gnawed through 
all the ropes, and set the lion free. 

The lion was sorry he had laughed at the 
mouse. He learned that even a weak little 
mouse may sometimes be very useful to a 
great lion. 


THE FROGS AND THE OX 

Some little frogs lived in a pond. The 
pond was just right for frogs. It was full 
of rushes. The water was cool and green. 
High grass grew all around it. There were 
water lily leaves to sit on. 

Sometimes the little frogs went out on the 


42 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


bank. There they played leapfrog, or tried 
to sing like the birds. Sometimes they dived 
and swam all day. They always had a good 
time. 

One day their mother went away on a 
visit. She told them she would soon be back 
and to be good children. 

First the little frogs went up on the bank 
to catch insects. Then they played tag in 
the tall grass. 

An ox came down to the water to drink. 
The little frogs crept under the biggest 
leaves they could find. They had never seen 
so huge a creature. The ox soon went away 
but the little frogs were afraid to come out. 

By and by their mother came home. Then 
the little frogs came tumbling out. They all 
began to talk at once. 

“Oh, Mother,” cried they, “a great mon¬ 
ster was here.” 

The mother frog had never seen anything 
so large as an ox. She thought she could 
easily make herself look as large. She blew 



“An ox came down to the ivater to drink” 
































































































44 FIRESIDE STORIES 

herself up and said, “Was it as large as 
this?” 

“Oh, yes, Mother, much larger.” 

She blew herself up more. “Was it as 
large as this?” 

“Oh, yes, Mother, much larger.” 

Then the old frog blew and blew and blew 
herself up. 

The little frogs began to .cry. “Oh, please, 
mother, do not try. If you burst yourself 
you could never be large enough. Please do 
not.” And the little frogs cried louder and 
louder. 

At last the mother frog said, “I don’t be¬ 
lieve there is anything larger than I am now. 
I am not going to make myself larger. You 
have been asleep and dreaming.” 

The ox never came back, and the little 
frogs soon began to think they had been 
dreaming as their mother said. So they were 
not afraid to go upon the bank and never 
afraid to stay alone. 

Sometimes they told other little frogs 



FIRESIDE STORIES 45 

'ii . 

about the funny dream they had. 

The other little frogs thought it was pleas¬ 
ant to have such dreams. So they tried to 
dream about monsters. But they could never 
dream about anything but frogs, and tad¬ 
poles, and water lilies, and nice things to 
eat. 


A GOOD JOKE 

A rich boy and his teacher were once walk¬ 
ing through the woods. They came to a tree 
that was half cut down. By it lay an ax and 
a pair of wooden shoes. 

They looked about and at last saw the 
woodcutter. He was resting himself on the 
bank of a brook with his feet in the water. 
He did not see them. The boy picked up 
two stones. “I will put these into his shoes,” 
said he. “Then we will hide and see him 
make faces when he puts the shoes on.” 

“I think you will not get much fun out of 


46 


FIRESIDE STORIES 



that,” said the teacher. “He is a poor man 
and has to work hard. He has a hard enough 
time. Your father gives you plenty of 
money. Why not put a dollar into each 
shoe? He will be more surprised than at 
the stones.” 

The boy liked this better. So he put the 
money into the shoes. Then the two hid in 
the bushes. Soon the man came limping 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


47 


back. He put on one of his shoes, but he 
took it off in a hurry. The money hurt his 
foot. 

When he saw what it was, he said, “Thank 
God, now I can buy bread for my children, 
and their sick mother. I will work no more 
to-day. I will go straight to the store and 
then home.” 

The boy was glad he had not put stones 
into the poor man’s shoes. He and his 
teacher followed the man to his home and 
found just how poor he was. The boy begged 
his father to help the woodcutter. His 
father did so by giving the man work at 
better wages. 

After that if the boy thought of doing an 
unkind thing for fun, he always thought of 
the poor woodcutter, and tried to do a kind¬ 
ness instead. 


48 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


THE CITY MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY 
MOUSE 

The city mouse went to visit the country 
mouse. The city mouse wore a high collar, 
a silk hat, patent leather shoes, and a beau¬ 
tiful, light suit. The country mouse went 
barefoot and had only a pair of trousers with 
one suspender. 

The country mouse was glad to see the city 
mouse. He brought in an ear of corn and 
an apple for dinner. Now the city mouse 
was used to having angel cake, ice cream, 
plum-pudding, and many other nice things. 
So he ate very little. 

The country mouse asked why he did not 
eat. The city mouse said, “Excuse me, but 
if you will come and live in the city, you will 
soon know. There you can get the very best 
food.” 

The country mouse was much pleased. 
They went to the city that very day. 

The country mouse saw all the sights, and 




FIRESIDE STORIES 


49 



“The city mouse went to visit the country mouse” 


then he went home to dinner with the city 
mouse. The city mouse showed the country 
mouse a large mince pie. Just as they be¬ 
gan to eat, a cat came springing at them. 
They both ran into a hole in a hurry. 

The country mouse couldn’t get his breath 
for ten minutes. By and by they crept out 
and looked about. But the cook threw a 
stick of wood at them, and took the pie away. 

The next thing they tried was a piece of 






50 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


cheese. But they saw just in time that it 
was a trap. 

The country mouse went home without 
anything to eat. He thought he would rather 
eat poor food than be frightened so much. 


THE WIND AND THE SUN 

One day the sun and the wind began to 
dispute. Each said he was stronger than the 
other. Just then a man came along the road. 

“Let us see which can make the man take 
off his coat,” said the sun. “Then we will 
know which is the stronger.” 

“Very well,” said the wind. “You may try 
first,” said the sun. 

The wind began to blow. First the man 
buttoned his coat. Then he turned up his 
collar. The wind blew harder. Some of the 
buttons were torn off. But the man held his 
coat tight with his hands. 

Then the wind was in a rage. It blew and 



FIRESIDE STORIES 51 


“The wind, blew harder” 

blew till it blew down trees. But tbe man 
held his arms tight around him and the wind 
could not get his coat. 

Then the sun began to shine. The man 
turned his collar down, and threw his coat 
open. At last he took it off and carried it. 
Sp the sun and wind never quarreled any¬ 


more. 




52 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


THE DOG AND HIS IMAGE 

One day a dog was looking about and he 
found a bone. He was not hungry. So he 
thought he would take it home and bury it. 

On the way home he had to cross a brook. 
He looked down into the water and saw his 
image. 

He thought it was a dog with a larger bone 
than his. He snapped at the large bone and 
dropped his own. 

His bone sank to the bottom and he could 
not get it again. So he had nothing for his 
dinner the next day. 

THE THREE WISHES 

Once upon a time there was a poor wood¬ 
man. Every day he went out to cut down 
trees. One day he saw a big oak tree. “This 
is a fine tree,” said he. “I will cut this one 
down. It will make good boards.” The 









“‘Oh, please do not cut down my tree,’ said the fairy” 












54 FIRESIDE STORIES 

moment he said this he heard the saddest 
crying. A little fairy stood before him with 
tears running down her cheeks. 

“Oh, please do not cut down my tree,*’ 
said the fairy. “When the tree dies I must 
die. Please do not cut down my tree.” 

The poor woodman was a good man. He 
had never been unkind to any creature. So 
he said, “I will not cut down your tree, little 
fairy. Do not cry. I will not touch one 
leaf.” 

Then the fairy said, “I will grant you three 
wishes. Be careful what you wish. The very 
first three wishes you make will come 
true.” 

The woodman stood staring at her. But 
in a moment he stared harder, for the fairy 
was gone. “I think I dreamed this,” said the 
woodman. “But I will not touch the tree.” 

He cut down a tree and then went home and 
forgot all about the fairy and the three 
wishes. 

“What have you for supper, wife?” he said. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


55 


“Bread and milk,” said she. 

“Oh, I don’t want bread and milk. I wish 
I had a nice sausage.” 

Rattle, rattle, clatter, clatter, down the 
chimney came a big sausage. 

The woodman jumped from his chair. 

“What is this?” said the wife. 

Then he thought of the fairy in the tree 
and he told his wife about the three wishes. 

“What a stupid fellow you are!” said she. 
“Here is one wish wasted. Why don’t you 
wish for gold? I wish you had the sausage 
on the end of your nose.” “I wish I had,” 
said he. 

Quick as a wink, there it was on the end 
of his nose. The woodman tried to pull it 
off, but he could not. His wife pulled him 
all around, but the sausage stuck tight. 

“Oh, I wish I could have this sausage in a 
dish on the table,” said the poor man at last. 

And there it was on the table, and the 
woodman and his wife ate it for supper. 
And that is all. 


56 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


JACK AND THE BEANSTALK 

There was once a poor woman who had one 
son. He was an idle boy. He would not do 
anything he was told. This was not because 
he meant to be bad. It was because his 
mother had always let him do just as he 
pleased. 

At last he had spent all his mother’s 
money. Then his mother scolded him for the 
first time in his life. 

“You bad boy,” she said. “We have not 
one cent left. We have nothing to eat. You 
must go and sell the cow. It breaks my heart 
to see her go. But we cannot starve.” 

Jack started off with the cow. On the road 
he met a butcher. “Where are you taking 
that cow?” asked the butcher. 

“I am taking her to the village to sell her,” 
said Jack. 

“Sell her to me,” said the butcher. “I will 
give you these beans for her. See how pretty 
they are.” 



“1 will give you these beans for her. See how pretty they are” 




































58 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


“All right, take her,” said Jack. 

Jack went home and showed the beans. 

“O, you bad boy,” said his mother, “to sell 
our cow for a few beans! You shall go to 
bed without any supper. I will not cook a 
handful of beans.” 

Out of the window went the beans. 

“Take that, and that, and that,” said Jack’s 
mother, boxing his ears. 

Jack went to bed crying. But he soon fell 
asleep and did not wake till morning. 

Something green was growing all over his 
window. 

Jack crept out of the house softly. He did 
not want to wake his mother. He was so 
sorry that she would not have any breakfast. 

The beans had grown as high as the sky 
in one night. The vines were as thick as 
trees. 

Jack thought he would climb them. He 
climbed and climbed till noon. But he could 
not see the top. 

He climbed and climbed till evening. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


59 


Then he came to the sky. He looked around 
and saw a country just like the earth. 

Off he set as fast as he could go. He saw 
no houses and no people for a long time. 

Then he met a lady. The lady spoke to 
him. Jack was pleased with her because she 
looked kind. 

“What is your name, my boy?” said she. 

“Jack,” said the boy. 

“I once knew your father,” said the lady. 
“He was very rich, but a cruel giant killed 
him and took all his money. The giant lives 
here. Go to his house and see if you cannot 
get back some of the money.” 

Jack left the lady and went on till he came 
to a very large house. He knocked at the 
door. A woman opened it. 

“I am very hungry,” said Jack. “Please 
give me something to eat.” 

“Run away as fast as you can go, poor 
boy,” said the woman. “This is a giant’s 
house. He eats boys.” 

“Please take me in and hide me,” said 


60 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Jack. “I do not know where to sleep and I 
shall starve.” So the woman took him in 
and gave him some supper. Then she hid 
him under a tub. 

Soon the giant came home. He ate a whole 
sheep for his supper. Then he called for his 
money bags. He counted his money over till 
he fell asleep. 

Jack crept out and ran away with the 
money bags. He never stopped running till 
he came to the beanstalks. Then he climbed 
down in a hurry. 

Jack had been away three days. His 
mother was very glad to see him. She had 
thought he was dead. 

Jack and his mother lived three years on 
the money. Then it was all gone. 

Jack climbed the beanstalks once more. 
He went straight to the giant’s house. 

The woman opened the door. She did not 
know him. He had grown so much. 

She did not want him to come in. But 
Jack coaxed her to keep him all night. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


61 



This time she hid him in a barrel. 

The giant came home and ate a calf for 
supper. Then he called to his wife. “Bring 
me my hen.” 

His wife brought the hen. The giant put 
the hen on the table. He fed her and petted 
her. Then he said, “Lay,” and she laid a 
golden egg. 

By and by the giant went to sleep. 






















62 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Jack crept out, caught the hen, and ran. 

He got safely home to his mother. This 
time they were rich. They had only to say, 
“Lay,” and the hen would lay a golden egg. 

Jack’s mother begged him not to climb the 
beanstalk again. For a long time he did 
as she wished. 

He had now grown to be a large boy. He 
often thought of the country at the top of 
the beanstalks. 

One day he climbed them again. The 
giant’s wife did not know him. So she let 
him in. 

That night the giant said to his wife, 
“Bring me my harp.” 

When the harp was brought, the giant set 
it on the table. Then he said, “Play,” and 
the harp played. 

At last the giant fell fast asleep. 

Out crept Jack and ran away with the 
harp. But the harp cried out, “Master! 
Master!” 

The giant woke up and ran after Jack. 















64 FIRESIDE STORIES 

He climbed down the beanstalk after him. 

Jack had just time to seize an ax and chop 
the beanstalk off at the root. 

Down tumbled the giant so hard that he 
went all to pieces. 

Jack’s mother then told him that the 
money and the hen and the harp had all been 
his father’s. She was always afraid to tell 
h im while the giant was alive. She was 
afraid he would go to find the giant and get 
killed. 

Now she had nothing to fear. 

HOW THE STRAW WAS SPUN INTO 
GOLD 

Once there was a poor man who had one 
beautiful daughter. He was very proud of 
her. ' One day he was talking with some other 
men. They all began to boast of their chil¬ 
dren. At last this poor man was so foolish 
as to say, “All that is nothing. My daughter 
can spin gold of straw.” 


. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


65 


The king heard what the man had said 
and sent for the girl. He put her into a room 
full of straw, and said, “Here is a spinning 
wheel. Now spin this straw into gold. If it 
is not all done in the morning you shall lose 
your head.” Then he shut the door and went 
away. 

The poor girl was left alone. She could 
not spin gold of straw. She wished her 
father had not boasted that she could. All 
she could do was to sit crying and waiting 
for morning. 

A noise at the window made her look 
around. There was an ugly, little, black 
troll. He had great eyes and a mouth like a 
frog. On his head were horns. He had 
wings like a bat and a long, long tail. 

“Why are you crying?” said he. “Oh,” 
said the girl, “I must spin all this straw into 
gold! What shall I do?” 

“I will spin it for you if you will guess my 
name,” said the troll. “You may have three 
nights to guess it. If you do not guess right 


66 FIRESIDE STORIES 

I will come and carry you away on the fourth 
night.” 

The girl thought, “I can guess it by that 
time. If I can’t, it will not 
make any difference. The 
king will cut off my head if 
the straw is not spun into 
gold.” 



“I will spin it for you if you will guess my name” 









FIRESIDE STORIES 


67 


So she said, “Spin it, then.” 

The troll sat down to spin. “Whirr, whirr, 
whirr,” went the wheel. Down fell the gold 
in a heap on the floor. Soon the straw was 
all gone. 

In the morning the king came. He was 
pleased with the gold. “You have done 
well,” he said. “To-night you shall be put 
into a larger room!” 

Sure enough, that night she had more 
straw than before. While she sat crying, the 
troll came in. “Aha,” he said, “more straw. 
Well, while you are guessing my name I will 
spin this, too.” 

So he set to work, “Hum, hum, hum.” 

The girl guessed and guessed. But the 
troll only laughed and spun faster. Soon a 
great heap of gold lay on the floor. 

“You have one night more,” said the troll. 
“I will be back.” And off! he flew. 

The next night the girl was put into a very 
large room. It was filled with straw from 
floor to ceiling. 


68 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


“Spin this,” said the king, “and you shall 
be made queen to-morrow night.” 

As soon as the king was gone the troll 
came. 

“You will never be queen,” he said. “You 
cannot guess my name. I will carry you off 
to-morrow night.” 

He set to work at once. The spinning 
wheel hummed and buzzed and buzzed and 
hummed. Round it went, faster, faster, 
faster, till every straw was gone. It was 
nearly morning when he flew away. The 
poor girl had not guessed his name. 

The king came and said, “You have spun 
enough gold. You shall never touch a spin¬ 
ning wheel again. To-night you shall be 
made queen.” 

The girl did not know what to do. As soon 
as she was alone, she crept out softly and ran 
away. She ran and ran till she could run 
no farther. Then she threw herself on the 
ground and fell asleep. 

By and by she woke up. Some one was 




“That evening she was made queen” 























70 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


singing. She listened and listened. The 
singing came from the ground under her 
head. 

It was a troll wife singing to her baby. 
The girl knew that only trolls live under the 
ground. 

The troll wife rocked her baby and sang, 

“Lie still and hush thee, baby mine, 
To-morrow comes Stine, father thine, 

All the straws in gold now shine, 

And he brings you a nurse both fair and 
fine.” 

Up sprang the girl and ran back to the 
castle. Nobody knew she had been away. 
That evening she was made queen. She had 
a crown of gold and a beautiful dress covered 
with diamonds. 

Late at night she sat alone in her room 
waiting for the troll. He came flying in and 
was about to take hold of her. He was sure 
she had not guessed his name. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


71 


“Not so fast, Gaffer Stine,” said the girl. 

At that the troll swelled up like a puff 
ball with rage. 

“Nobody but my wife knew my name,” he 
screamed. “She must have told it.” 

With that, away he went like a monstrous 
bat. He was so angry that sparks flew off of 
him in showers. 

To this day, travelers in the forest can hear 
him scolding his poor wife at night. 


JACK 

Once upon a time there was a boy named 
Jack. He and his mother lived in a little 
house. They were very poor. The mother 
made a living by spinning. Jack would do 
nothing. He liked to sit in the sun all day. 

At last Jack’s mother told him he must 
work or starve. So he went and worked a 
day for a farmer. In the evening he was paid. 
He never had any money before, and he did 


72 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


not know how to carry it. As he crossed the 
brook he lost the money in the water. “You 
stupid boy,” said his mother. “Why didn’t 
you put it into your pocket?” 

“I will the next time,” said Jack. 

The next day he worked for a milk man. 
The milk man gave him a pail of milk for 
pay. Jack put the milk into his pocket. It 
was all spilled when he got home. 

“You stupid boy,” said his mother. “Why 
didn’t you put it on your head?” 

“I will the next time,” said Jack. 

The next day Jack worked for the farmer 
again. At night a cream cheese was given 
him for pay. Jack put the cheese on his head. 
But the cheese was soft. So it was spoiled. 

“You stupid boy,” said his mother. “You 
should have carried it in your hands.” 

“I will the next time,” said Jack. 

The next time he worked, he had nothing 
but a cat for pay. Jack tried to carry the 
cat in his hands. But she scratched him and 
ran away. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


73 


“You stupid boy,” said his mother. “You 
should have tied a string to her and led her.” 

“I will the next time,” said Jack. 

He worked the next day for a butcher. 
The butcher gave him a piece of mutton for 
pay. Jack tied a string to the mutton and 
dragged it after him. 

“You stupid boy,” said his mother. “You 
should have carried it on your shoulder.” 

“I will the next time,” said Jack. 

The next day he worked for the farmer 
again. The farmer gave him a donkey to 



“Jack tied a string to the mutton and dragged it after him,” 



74 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Now there was a rich man who had one 
daughter. The poor girl was ill all the time. 
She had never smiled in her life. She could 
not get well till something made her laugh. 

She looked out and saw Jack and the 
donkey. They looked so funny that she 
laughed till she cried. Then her father came 
out and gave Jack a bag full of money. 

So he and his mother had everything they 
needed all the rest of their lives. 


THE FISHEKMAN AND HIS WIFE 

There was once a fisherman. He lived in a 
hut by the sea. 

The fisherman went out every day to fish. 
He was very poor and had to work hard. 

One day he put his hook into the water and 
sat and sat. At last he had a good bite. He 
pulled hard and up came a big fish. 

“Fisherman, listen to me,” said the fish. “I 
am not a real fish. I am an enchanted prince. 



(i 0 man, 0 man of the sea” 


y 

4 




































76 FIRESIDE STORIES 

Put me back and I will give you whatever 
you want.” 

“I should not like to eat a fish that can 
talk,” said the fisherman. “Give me a nice 
cottage, then, and swim away.” “Go home,” 
said the fish, “and you will find the cottage.” 

Sure enough the first thing the fisherman 
saw when he went home was the cottage. 
His wife stood at the door. There were dishes 
and chairs and beds in the cottage. In the 
back yard there was a garden. 

“How did this come?” said the wife. The 
fisherman told her. “Oh, you foolish man! 
Why did you not get him to give you a 
palace? Go back at once and ask for one.” 

The fisherman did not like to go, but his 
wife gave him no peace day or night and so 
at last he went. 

He stood by the sea and cried: 

“0 man, 0 man of the sea, 

Or fish, or prince, or whatever you be, 
Come up now, and listen to me.” 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


77 


The fish put his head out. “What do you 
want?” he said. 

“I do not want anything, but my wife 
wants a palace,” said the man. 

“Go home,” said the fish. “She has it.” 

When the fisherman went home he could 
hardly believe his eyes. There stood a great 
palace. Flags were flying on the roof. Sol¬ 
diers were marching up and down. 

The fisherman’s wife met him at the door. 
“Go back at once,” she said. “Do not waste 
a minute. Tell the fish I want to be king.” 

“I am afraid to do that,” said the husband. 
“My soldiers shall drive you away, if you 
do not,” answered the wife. 

So back he went. He stood by the sea till 
dark. 

He stood by the sea till bedtime. 

At last he said: 

“O man, 0 man, 0 man of the sea, 

Or fish, or prince, or whatever you be, 
Come up now, and listen to me.” 


78 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Up came the fish. “What is it now?” he 
said. “My wife wants to be king,” said the 
poor fisherman. 

“Go back, she is king,” said the fish. 

The man went back to the palace. The 
soldiers led him in. On a throne sat his wife. 
She had a crown on her head. 

“This is pleasant,” said the wife. “Come 
and sit beside me.” The fisherman said, “It 
is bedtime now.” 

The wife said, “I am not going to bed to¬ 
night. I don’t want to sleep.” 

By and by she said, “How I wish it were 
morning now! I wish I could make the sun 
rise at night.” 

Then she said, “Why should I not make 
the sun rise whenever I want to ? Go and tell 
the fish to give me power over the sun. If 
I cannot make the sun rise, I don’t want any¬ 
thing.” 

The fisherman said he would do no such 
thing. 

But the wife said, “I am king and you must 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


79 



obey me.” So she sent the soldiers to take 
him down to the sea. 

The man stood by the sea and began to 
say very slowly: 

“0 man, 0 man—” 

















80 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


But the fish came before he had said three 
words. 

“What does she want now?” he said in an 
angry voice. 

“She wants to make the sun rise at night,” 
said the fisherman. “Be off home with you,” 
shouted the fish. “I am out of all patience. 
You will find your wife in her old hut.” 

So the fisherman and his wife had to live 
in a hut all their days. 


DANDELION DOWN 

Little Floss-hair played in the sunlight 
among the dandelions. Her shining silken 
hair was yellow like the dandelion blossoms. 

Grandmother sat spinning in the doorway. 
She was watching little Floss-hair. A sun¬ 
beam danced around her spinning wheel. 
She seemed to spin behind a golden veil. 

Grandmother looked very beautiful. Her 
dress was gray; her hair was white as snow; 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


81 



(( ‘Grandmother wants mesaid little Floss-hair” 


her eyes were quiet and smiling. 

Floss-hair broke a downy ball from its 
stalk and blew it one, two, three times. The 
feathery seeds flew all around her till not 
one was left on the stem. 

“Grandmother wants me,” said little Floss- 
hair, and away she ran to the door. 

“Why have you stopped your play, little 
girl?” asked her grandmother. 

“The pretty yellow dandelions are nearly 


82 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


all gone,” said Floss-hair. “In their places 
are little round gray heads that look like 
ghosts. Why do the flowers die, Grand¬ 
mother?” 

“Did you see where the seed feathers 
went?” 

“Oh, into the air or up into the clouds,” 
said Floss-hair. 

“No, no, little girl,” said the grandmother. 
“Some of them hid under the grass, where 
they will sleep all summer and all winter. 
Next spring they will come out wide awake, 
but then they will be young dandelions. And 
see there, the yellowbirds are taking some 
of the little white plumes to line their nests. 
Many little birds will be glad that the golden 
flowers have turned to down.” 

“So the dandelions are spinning silk to 
line the birds’ nests,” said Floss-hair, “and 
grandmother sits and spins for me. Dear 
Grandmother, your hair is soft and white 
like the dandelion down.” 

“Little girl, my hair was once all flyaway 




FIRESIDE STORIES 


83 


gold like yours. Call me Dandelion Down, 
the ghost of a little Floss-hair that played 
among the dandelion blossoms seventy years 
ago.” 

“No, no, Grandmother, I will not call dan¬ 
delion down a ghost any more. It is only a 
common little flower turned into an angel. 
It is like my grandmother, who is always do¬ 
ing kind things. No, no, Grandmother, I shall 
always love the dandelion down.” 

And Floss-hair ran back to her play, and 
her grandmother sat in the door watching her 
and spinning. 


ROBIN AND ALL THE REST 

They’ll come again to the apple tree— 
Robin and all the rest— 

When orchard branches are fair to see, 

In the snow of the blossoms dressed. 

And the prettiest thing in the world will be 
The building of the nest. 


84 


FIRESIDE STORIES 

DANDELION 


I saw him peeping from my lawn, 

A tiny spot of yellow, 

His face was one substantial smile 
The jolly little fellow. 


I think he wore a doublet green, 
His golden skirt tucked under’ 
He carried, too, a sword so sharp 
That I could only wonder. 


“Are you a soldier, little man, 

You, with your face so sunny?” 
The fellow answered not a word, 

I thought it very funny. 


I left him there to guard my lawn 
From robins, bent to plunder, 

The soldier lad with doublet green, 
His yellow skirt tucked under. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


85 


The days passed on—one afternoon 
As I was out a-walking, 

Whom should I meet upon the lawn 
But soldier lad a-stalking. 

His head, alas! was white as snow, 

And it was all a-tremble; 

Ah! scarce did this old veteran 
My bonny lad resemble. 

I bent to speak with pitying word— 
Alas! for good intention; 

His snowy locks blew all away— 

The rest—we will not mention. 

Kate Louise Brown. 


DANDELIONS 

Upon a showery night and still, 
Without a word of warning, 

A trooper band surprised the hill, 
And held it in the morning. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


366 

W% were not waked by bugle notes, 
No cheer our dreams invaded, 
And yet, at dawn their yellow coats 
On the green grass paraded. 


We careless folk the deed forgot 
Till one day, idly walking, 



“We were not waked by bugle notes” 









FIRESIDE STORIES 


87 


They shook their trembling heads and gray, 
With pride and noiseless laughter, 

When, well-a-day, they blew away, 

And ne’er were heard of after. 

Helen Gray Cone. 


WINTER AND SPRING 

There was once a child who had no play¬ 
mates. He wandered about all day among 
the flowers and the trees. He listened as the 
leaves rustled and whispered together. By 
and by he began to understand what they 
said. 

One day the south wind came blowing 
over the grass. He saw a beautiful rose. 
“Oh, fly away with me, beautiful rose,” cried 
the south wind. “I will take you where it 
is always summer.” 

But the rose would not go. The south wind 
tried to tear her from her stem, but he could 
not. 


88 


FIRESIDE STORIES 



“Oh, beautiful rose, come with me. The 
north wind will come and you will die,” he 
cried once more. 

But the rose did not believe him. She 
thought the sun would always shine. 

A little vine heard all this. It set her to 
thinking. She spoke to the daisy and the 
daisy told the violet. They talked it over 
all day. “Will the north wind come and kill 
us?” they wondered. They thought they 
would ask the oak tree. He was very old and 
he would know. 



FIRESIDE STORIES 


89 


“No, you will not die,” said the oak-tree. 
“You will only sleep and rest while the north 
wind blows. In the spring the sun will shine. 
The south wind will come back. You will 
all wake up again.” 

“I don’t like that,” said the vine. “I don’t 
want to sleep. I want to play with the bees 
and the birds and the butterflies.” 

“I am afraid I shall never wake up,” said 
the violet. 

“Do not be afraid,” said the oak tree. “You 
will be sure to wake up. The birds all follow 
the south wind when the north wind comes. 
The bees hide themselves in their hives. The 
butterflies creep into warm places. 

“When the north wind goes away, they all 
come back to the meadows. They will be 
here when you wake up.” 

“Don’t believe a word of that,” said a rough 
old thistle. 

“When you go to sleep, you will never 
wake up. That is the last of you.” 

The child heard all this. 



90 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


He wondered which was true. 

It was a long, long summer. It seemed 
as if it would never end. Birds sang. Grass¬ 
hoppers and crickets romped in the grass. 
The rose bloomed and bloomed. She grew 
more beautiful every day. 

One day a great wind came out of the 
north. Away to their homes hurried the 
bumblebees and crickets. Whirr! whirr! 
How cold the north wind was! The south 
wind flew far away. 

“Now we shall all die and that will be the 
end of us,” said the cross old thistle. 

“No, no,” said the old oak tree. “We are 
all going to sleep.” 

The flowers and the vine tried to keep 
awake, but they could not. They were soon 
fast asleep. The old oak tree spread his 
leaves over them. Last of all he, too, fell 
asleep. 

Then the child saw the storm king come 
riding over the fields and the forests and the 
town. Snow fell everywhere. The north 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


91 


wind made sad music in the chimneys. 

The storm king sent the brook to bed and 
put a cover of ice over him. He spread a 
snow blanket over the sleeping flowers. 
They all lay quiet. Only the old thistle 
seemed to have bad dreams. He tossed about 
and muttered in his sleep. 

The child thought winter would never end. 
He thought the flowers would never wake. 
But at last spring came. 

Sunshine danced everywhere. “Wake up, 
wake up, everybody,” called the sunbeams. 

The brook heard first. He threw off his 
cover. He leaped out over his banks and 
ran all over the meadow. Then a bluebird 
came from the south. “Wake up,” he cried 
to the violet. “It is spring.” 

The violet heard him and came forth in 
her purple dress. Then out came the daisy in 
white and gold. Last came the little vine in 
dainty green. 

“I had had dreams,” said the old thistle. 
“I feel very bad. I wish I had never waked 


82 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


up.” Then he pricked everybody he could 
reach. 

“You knew, old oak tree,” said the flowers. 
“We feel much better after our sleep. Now 
we will always be happy.” 

The child saw and heard all these things. 
He rejoiced in the sunshine and the flowers 
and was happy, too. 


THE SHEPHERD BOY WHO KILLED 
THE GIANT 

David was a shepherd boy. He lived in 
the mountains and took care of his father’s 
sheep. All day long he was alone with them. 
There were no boys to play with him. 

While the sheep were feeding he watched 
them. If any strayed away, he brought them 
back to the flock. When they lay down to 
rest, he played upon his harp and made up 
songs. 

At night he gathered the sheep together. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 93 

When they were all quiet he lay down among 
them and slept. 

Once a lion came out from among the rocks 
and took a lamb. David followed it. It 
dropped the lamb and turned upon him. 
David seized it by the mane and beat it to 
death with a club. A bear came at night, 
but he killed it, too. He was never afraid. 

As the days passed David grew taller and 
stronger. He had red cheeks and golden 
hair. He was very handsome, but he never 
thought of his beauty. He thought of his 
sheep and of the war that was going on. His 
three brothers were in the king’s army. 

One day David’s father said, “Leave your 
sheep, my son. I want you to go down and 
see how your brothers are. Take these loaves 
of bread to them and this cheese to their 
captain.” 

So David left his sheep with a keeper and 
went early in the morning. 

Just as he came to the camp the two armies 
were ready for battle. They were in lines 


94 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


facing each other. But both armies were 
standing still. David ran to see what they 
were doing. There between the two armies 
was the biggest giant ever seen. 

The giant shook his spear and shouted in 
a voice of thunder, “Send a man out to fight 
with me. I defy your whole army. Send a 
man out to fight with me.” 

David said, “Will no man go? Then I 
will go.” 

David’s brothers heard him and said, 
“Hush! we are ashamed of you. You are 
only a boy. You cannot fight this giant. 
Go back to those few sheep and take care of 
them. Do not come here boasting.” 

But other men ran and told the king. The 
king called David. When he saw that he 
was only a boy, he said, “You cannot fight 
this giant. You are not old enough.” 

David said, “I killed a lion and a bear, and 
I can kill the giant.” 

The king brought his own armor and 
sword. David put them on, but he could not 



“Am l a dog that you come out to beat me with a staff? 
















96 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


walk. They were too heavy. So he took his 
shepherd’s staff and his sling in his hand, 
and five round stones in his shepherd’s bag, 
and went out to meet the giant. 

Now the giant was dressed in brass armor 
from head to foot. He had a brass helmet. 
Hi s spear was like a weaver’s beam. A man 
carried a huge shield before him. David was 
dressed in a tunic of sheep skin, and sandals. 
His shepherd’s bag hung at his belt. His 
head was bare. 

When the giant saw a rosy-cheeked boy 
coming he laughed loud and long. Then he 
shouted, “Am I a dog that you come out with 
a staff to beat me? Come, and I will give 
your flesh to the birds and beasts to eat.” 

David called, “I will give your flesh to the 
birds and beasts.” 

This made the giant angry, and he came to 
meet David. 

David ran toward him. As he ran he put 
a stone into his sling and threw it. The 
stone struck the giant on the forehead, and 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


97 


he fell on his face. David had no sword, so 
he took the giant’s sword to cut off his head. 

All the army of the giant ran away. 

A captain came out to meet David and led 
him to the king. David carried the giant’s 
head in his hands. The King would not allow 
him to go back to his sheep. He wanted to 
keep David in his own house. The king’s son 
took off all his rich clothes and his sword and 
bow and belt and put them on David. 

Then the army marched back to the king’s 
city. Girls came out to meet them. They 
sang, “The king has slain his thousands, but 
David has slain his ten-thousands.” 

When the king died, David was made king 
in his place. He lived a long time and was 
a great king. But he never forgot his happy 
life with the sheep. He often played upon his 
harp and sang as he did when he was a boy. 
Some of his songs are the grandest songs that 
were ever sung. People often sing them 
now. 

Across the ocean there is a statue of David 


98 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


as he looked when he killed the giant. It 
was made by one of the greatest sculptors 
that ever lived. Perhaps you have seen a 
picture of it. 


THE SLAVE WHO BECAME A RULER 

Once there was a boy named Joseph. He 
had ten brothers older than he was. His 
father was very fond of him. He gave 
Joseph a coat of many colors. 

The older brothers did not like this. They 
thought their father loved Joseph better than 
he did them. 

Joseph dreamed two dreams and told them 
to his brothers. 

The first time he dreamed that he was 
reaping in the field with his brothers. He 
thought they each made a sheaf. But when 
the sheaves were set up, only his would stand. 
The others bowed down before it. 

His brothers spoke among themselves and 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


99 



said, “He thinks that we will all be his serv¬ 
ants. He thinks we will all bow down be¬ 
fore him.” 

The next time he dreamed that the sun 
and moon and 
stars bowed 
down to him. 

This made the 
brothers more 
angry. 

•The ten broth¬ 
ers went to feed 
their father’s 
sheep a long dis¬ 
tance from home. 

Joseph’s 
father said, “Go 
an d see your “fle gave Joseph a coat of 

brothers. See if many colors ” 

they are well. Bring me word of your broth¬ 
ers and of the sheep.” 

Joseph went as he was told. His broth'" 
saw him a long way off. 



100 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


They knew him by his coat of many colors. 

“Here comes the dreamer,” said they. “Let 
us kill him. Then we will be done with his 
dreams.” 

But one, whose name was Reuben, said, 
“Do not let us kill him. Let us put him into 
a pit.” He said this to save Joseph’s life. 
He thought he could get the boy out of the 
pit and send him home. 

So when Joseph came they took off his coat 
of many colors. Then they threw him into 
the pit. 

While Reuben was looking after the sheep 
a caravan came by. 

The brothers said, “We will not let him 
die. We will sell him to these men. They 
will take him away and sell him as a slave.” 

So they sold Joseph for twenty pieces of 
silver. The men who bought h im took him 
away. 

Reuben went to look into the pit and saw 
that the boy was gone. He wept and called 
his brothers bad men. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


101 


But he could not bring Joseph back 

The brothers dipped Joseph’s coat in the 
blood of a goat. Then they took it to their 
father. 

The father said, “It is Joseph’s coat. Some 
wild beast has killed him.” 

A ll his sons and daughters tried to com¬ 
fort him. But he would not be comforted. 

Joseph was taken to another country. 
There he was sold to a captain in the king’s 
army. 

This captain liked Joseph so well that he 
made him ruler of his house. 

Joseph took care of everything, even his 
master’s money. 

But someone spoke evil against Joseph and 
his master believed it. So Joseph was put 
into prison. 

Now the king’s baker and butler were in 
prison. They each dreamed a strange dream. 

Joseph told them what the dreams meant. 
What he said came true. 

After a while the baker was taken out of 


102 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


prison. He was taken back into the king’s 
house. Soon he forgot all about Joseph. 

After two years the king dreamed a dream. 

In his dream he was walking by the river. 
Seven fine, fat cows came up from the river 
and stood on the bank. Then seven thin cows 
came up and ate them. 

While he looked a stalk of corn grew up. 
It had seven good ears on it. Then seven 
poor ears came out and ate these good ears. 

The king was troubled. He wanted to 
know the meaning of his dreams. None of 
the wise men could tell him. • 

At last the baker told the king about 
Joseph. The king sent to the prison for him . 
Joseph came and stood before the king and 
heard the dream. 

Then he said, “This dream, 0 King, means 
that there will be seven years of plenty and 
seven years of famine.” 

Then said the king, “What shall be done?” 
and Joseph answered, “Gather all the grain 
that is not used into storehouses and keep 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


103 


it for food in the years of famine.” 

The king thought this a good plan. So he 
said to Joseph, “No one is so wise as you are. 
I will make you ruler over the whole land.” 

Then the king took of£ his ring and put it 
on Joseph’s finger. He put a gold chain on 
his neck, and gave him fine linen garments. 

In the seven years of plenty Joseph gath¬ 
ered grain till it could not be measured. 

When the seven years of famine came, he 
sold the grain to the people of the land. 

Now Joseph’s father sent his sons to that 
country to buy food. He sent all but Ben¬ 
jamin, who was only a little boy. 

Joseph knew his brothers. But they did 
not know him. He spoke roughly to them. 
“Why have you come?” he asked. “We have 
come to buy food,” they answered. 

“You are spies,” said Joseph. “You have 
come to see if this is not a poor country.” 

“No,” answered the men. “There is a 
famine in our country, too. We have come 
to buy food. 


104 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


“We are all the sons of one man. There 
were twelve of us. One is dead. One is a 
boy. His name is Benjamin. He is at home 
with his father.” 

Joseph said, “Go and bring Benjamin. 
Then I will believe you.” 

Then he put them into prison three days. 
At the end of that time they were brought 
before him again. 

Joseph said, “One of you shall be kept in 
prison till the others come back with the 
boy.” 

The men could do nothing else. So they 
said they would go home and get their 
youngest brother. 

Joseph sent a servant to fill their sacks 
with corn. He told the servant to put the 
money they gave him back into the sacks. 

On the way they opened the sacks and 
found the money. This frightened them. 

At first their father would not let Benja¬ 
min go. But at last the corn was all eaten. 
Then the father said, “Take the boy. He will 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


105 


starve here. But bring hi m back to me;” 

When they came before Joseph, they of¬ 
fered him the money again. But he would 
not take it. He told them to keep it. 

Then he went away. He was afraid he 
would let them know who he was. He was so 
glad to see his little brother. 

Joseph’s brothers were called in to eat 
with him. They were seated according to 
their ages. Food was set before them. 

Benjamin had five times as much as the 
others. They did not 
know what to think of 
this. 

Soon they were ready 
to go back to their 
father. 

J o s e p h 
told his serv- 
ants to put 
his silver cup 
into Benja- 

. , 1 “Joseph told his servants to put his silver 

Him S S&CK. CU p i n t 0 Benjamin’s sack” 



106 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


When they had gone a short distance, 
Joseph sent a soldier after them. “Why 
have you taken my lord’s cup?” said the 
soldier. 

“We have not taken the cup,” said the men. 
“Look into our sacks. If you find it, you may 
kill the man who has it. All the rest of us 
will be slaves to your master.” 

The soldier looked and found the cup in 
Benjamin’s sack. So he took the boy back 
to the city. All the brothers followed him. 

Joseph said, “Why did you return evil for 
good? Did I not treat you well?” 

Then the oldest of the brothers said, “Some 
one put the cup into the boy’s sack. He did 
not take it. Make me a slave and let him 
go back to his father. His father has lost 
one son. He will die if this one does not 
come back.” 

Then Joseph said, “I am Joseph. But do 
not be afraid. Take the boy and go back to 
my father. Bring my father and your fami¬ 
lies into this land. I will feed you.” 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


107 


The king heard that Joseph’s brothers had 
come. This pleased him. He gave them 
wagons and food for their journey. 

The brothers went back and said to their 
father, “Joseph is alive. He is a great man. 
Only the king is greater.” The father could 
not believe them at first. But when he saw 
the wagons he thought it must be true. 

So they all went down into the country 
where Joseph was. They took their cattle 
and servants with them. 

The king told them to choose any part of 
his kingdom for their homes. So they chose 
a place where there was pasture for their 
cattle. This was given to them and they were 
made welcome for Joseph’s sake. 

ALFRED THE GREAT 

About a thousand years ago there lived in 
England a prince called Alfred. He had 
three brothers older than himself. His father 
was king. 


108 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


None of the boys could read or write. In 
those days people had very little learning. 
Only the priests were scholars. The boys 
were taught to ride and swim, and to use 
the sword and battle axe. This was thought 
much more important than reading and writ¬ 
ing. 

Printing had not been invented at that 
time. All the books they had were written 
or printed on parchment with a pen. Some¬ 
times the books were very pretty. They had 
fancy letters printed in bright colored ink 
and little pictures in gay tints. 

One day the queen was reading one of 
these fine books. The four princes came in 
and saw it and they were all very much 
pleased with it. 

The queen said, “Whichever one of you 
learns to read it first, shall have it.” Alfred 
went out at once and found a teacher. He 
learned to read very soon and the book was 
his. He kept it all his life and was always 
proud of it. 







“One day the queen was reading one of these fine hooks” 















































110 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


When he was twenty-three years old, Al¬ 
fred became king. It was not a pleasant 
thing to be king of England in those days. 
The Danes were always coming into the 
country killing people and burning houses. 

Alfred fought nine battles with them the 
first year he was king. After that they 
stayed at home for a time. But in three years 
they came back with a greater army than be¬ 
fore. They drove away the English soldiers 
and Alfred was left alone. He dressed him¬ 
self like a peasant and asked shelter in the 
hut of a cowherd. 

The cowherd had never seen Alfred so he 
did not know him. The Danes tried to find 
the king but they could not. 

Alfred secretly gathered a great army and 
marched against the Danes. He surrounded 
their camp so that none of them could escape. 
He did not kill the Danes as he might easily 
have done. He asked them to promise not to 
fight any more. When they had promised he 
gave them a place to live. Their leader be- 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


111 


came a Christian. He wanted to be like Al¬ 
fred who could forgive his enemies instead 
of killing them. 

There was peace for some time. But more 
Danes came and Alfred built ships and drove 
them away. 

When all the wars were over, Alfred spent 
his time in doing good for his people. He 
built school houses. He talked with trav¬ 
elers and wrote down what they said. He 
made just laws. He made every place safe 
from robbers. It was said that gold might 
be left in the street and no one would touch it. 

There were no clocks in those days. Peo¬ 
ple could only tell the time by the sun. Al¬ 
fred had wax candles made to tell the time. 
They were all of the same size and were kept 
burning day and night. In the sides of the 
candles were notches. When the candles had 
burned down to a notch the people knew an 
hour had passed. When the wind blew in, 
it made the candles burn faster than at other 
times. Alfred put thin pieces of horn around 


112 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


them to keep the wind away. By and by 
people began to use these for lanterns. 

So King Alfred never wasted any of his 
time. All the time that he was so busy, he 
suffered from an unknown disease. But he 
was never idle. 

This good king died when he was fifty- 
three years old. It is more than a thousand 
years since he lived, but he is still called 
Alfred the Great. There is a poem called 
“The Discoverer of the North Cape.” In this 
poem King Alfred is called “The Truth 
Teller.” No man ever had a finer name. 


THE KING AND THE SPIDER 

Robert Bruce was the king of Scotland, 
but he was driven from his throne by his 
enemies. 

He was poorer than the poorest beggar in 
his kingdom. He was hunted from place to 
place. He lay hiding in dark swamps like a 


FIRESIDE STORIES 113 

wild animal. Sometimes he could hear the 
barking of dogs on his track. 

One day he hid in a cave. He was tired 
and hungry and nearly naked. He had not 
slept under a roof in months. 

He lay on the ground thinking of his trou¬ 
bles. “Six battles have I fought,” he said 
to himself, “and each time I was beaten. I 
will try no more. I will go away from this 
country. I will find a home where I can live 
like a man and not like a wild beast.” 

Just then he saw a spider beginning a web. 
He forgot his troubles for the time and 
watched her. 

The spider spun a long thread. Then she 
swung on it and tried to fasten the end, but 
she could not. She tried again and again till 
she had tried six times. Still she failed. The 
seventh time she succeeded. 

Up sprang Robert Bruce. “This poor 
spider has more perseverance than I have,” 
said he. “She failed six times and so did I. 
But she did not give up and neither will I.” 


114 


FIRESIDE STORIES 



“Up sprang Robert Bruce” 


So he came out from his hiding place and 
showed himself to his people. Great was 
their joy to see their king. They had thought 
he was dead. 

Many brave men came to help him. A 





FIRESIDE STORIES 


115 


great battle was fought. The enemies of 
Scotland were driven out and the land had 
peace. 

Robert Bruce was loved and honored all 
his life. Long after he was dead, and even 
now, the people of Scotland speak of him 
with pride. 

THE MAN WHO WAS TO MIND 
THE HOUSE 

Once there was a man who always found 
fault with his wife. He found fault with 
whatever she did. He said he had to go out 
into the fields and work hard all day long 
and she had nothing to do but mind the 
house. 

One night he was crosser than ever. He 
said, “Here I have been working out in the 
hot sun since early morning. I wish I had 
nothing to do but mind the house. You do 
not know what hard work is.” 

The wife said, “Please do not be so angry, 


116 FIRESIDE STORIES 

Goodman. To-morrow we will change places. 
You may stay in the house where it is cool 
and I will go out into the field.” 

Early the next morning she took her hus¬ 
band’s scythe and went out to mow. 

First the man started to churn but he 
soon grew thirsty. So he went down into the 
cellar to get some cider. 

When he tried to turn it the faucet came 
out in his hand. Just at that moment he 
heard a great crash upstairs. Without put¬ 
ting the faucet down, he ran up. The pig 
had come into the house and upset the churn. 
The cream was running all over the floor and 
the pig was gobbling it up. 

The man was so angry with the pig that he 
hit it with the axe. Just then he noticed the 
faucet in his hand. He rushed back down¬ 
stairs but the cider had all run out of the 
barrel. The cellar floor was swimming. 

There was nothing to do about it. All the 
good cider was lost. He had to take a broom 
and sweep it down the drain. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


117 



The pig teas gobbling it up’’ 


Then the man got some more cream and 
set to work again to churn. There was no 
butter for dinner and he had to make some. 

Very soon the man remembered that he 
had not milked the cow. All this time she 
had been standing in the stable. She was 
hungry and thirsty but no one came to milk 
her and drive her to pasture. 

The baby had waked up and her father 






118 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


was afraid she might upset the churn again. 
So he tied the churn on his back. He tried 
to draw water from the well but the pail 
stuck and would not come up. He leaned 
over to look down and the cream ran out of 
the churn all over him. 

Now there would be no butter for dinner. 
All the cream was gone. The man must begin 
to get dinner at once because it was so late. 
He could not wait to take the cow to pasture. 

The little house had a thatched roof with 
grass growing on it. The house stood close 
against a hill. So the man drove the cow 
up on the hill and then over on the roof to 
eat grass. 

He was afraid she might fall oft and hurt 
herself. So he tied a rope to her horns. He 
put the other end of the rope down the chim¬ 
ney and tied it around his waist. 

But the cow did fall off the roof and 
dragged the man up into the chimney. There 
he stuck and there the cow hung, lowing at 
the top of hei voice. 


























































































120 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Out in the field the woman had been mow¬ 
ing all morning. She began to feel hungry. 
The sun was over her head and she knew it 
was noon. She listened but she did not hear 
the dinner horn. So she set to work again. 

Then she heard the poor cow lowing and 
she thought it was the horn. She felt very 
hungry by this time. So she ran off to the 
house without putting down the scythe. 

When the woman saw the cow hanging by 
the horns she cut her down with the scythe. 
Then she ran into the house. There lay her 
husband on the floor, black in the face and 
half choked with soot. Her pet pig lay be¬ 
side him dead. The cream was all over the 
floor, and the baby was creeping about in it. 
There was no sign of dinner. 

The woman was very angry, so she said: 

“Mr. Cook, Mr. Cowherd, Mr. House¬ 
keeper, where is the butter for dinner? 
Where is the dinner? Who killed the pig? 
Who hung my cow ? It is a wonder the baby 
is not dead, too.” 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


121 


Then she went into the cellar for a drink 
of eider. But she found none. The man had 
not one word to say. He went back to the 
field the next morning and never scolded his 
wife again. 


LITTLE BLACK SAMBO 

Once upon a time there was an English 
lady living in India. She had two little girls 
who always wanted to hear stories. 

One day when they were taking a journey 
on the railroad the lady made up a story 
about a little black boy and four tigers. In 
India the native children are black and there 
are many tigers. The two little girls liked 
the story very much. They often asked their 
mother to tell it again. This is the story: 

Once upon a time there was a little black 
boy named Little Black Sambo. His mother 
was called Black Mumbo and his father 
Black Jumbo. 


122 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Black Mumbo made Little Black Sambo 
a beautiful little red coat and a pair of beau¬ 
tiful little red trousers. Black Jumbo went 
to the store and bought him a beautiful red 
umbrella and a pair of little red slippers. 
Then Little Black Sambo felt very fine in¬ 
deed. 

He put on all his fine new clothes and went 
for a walk in the jungle. By and by he met 
a tiger. 

The Tiger said, “Little Black Sambo, I 
am going to eat you up.” 

“Oh, please, Mr. Tiger, don’t eat me up,” 
said poor Little Black Sambo. 

“What will you give me if I don’t eat you 
up?” said the tiger. 

“Oh, I will give you my beautiful little red 
coat,” said the little boy. 

Then the tiger said, “Very well, take it 
off, and I will not eat you up.” 

So the tiger got Little Black Sambo’s little 
red coat. He put it on and went away say¬ 
ing, “Now.I am the finest tiger in the jungle.” 


FIRESIDE STORIES 123 



Little Black Sambo went on till he met an¬ 
other tiger. 

The tiger said, “Little Black Sambo. I 
am going to eat you up.” 

“Oh, please don’t eat me up, Mr. Tiger,” 
said Little Black Sambo. 

“What will you give me if I don’t?” said 
the tiger. 

“I will give you my beautiful red trousers,” 
said Little Black Sambo. 





124 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


“Very well,” said the tiger, “then I shall 
not eat you up.” 

So this tiger went away with Little Black 
Sambo’s beautiful little red trousers, saying, 
“Now I am the finest tiger in the jungle.” 

Little Black Sambo went on till he met an¬ 
other tiger. 

The tiger said, “Little Black Sambo, I am 
going to eat you up.” 

“Oh, please don’t eat me up,” said Little 
Black Sambo. 

“What will you give me if I don’t eat you 
up?” said the tiger. 

“I will give you my beautiful red slippers.” 

“What could I do with two slippers?” said 
the tiger. “I have four feet.” 

“You could wear them on your ears,” said 
Little Black Sambo. 

“Yes, I could,” said the tiger. “Give them 
to me, and I will not eat you this time.” 

So the tiger got Little Black Sambo’s slip¬ 
pers. 

He went away with them on his ears, say- 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


125 


ing, “Now I am the finest tiger in the jungle.” 

By and by Little Black Sambo met another 
tiger. 

The tiger said, “Now, then, I am going to 
eat you up, Little Black Sambo.” 

“Oh, please, Mr. Tiger, don’t eat me up,” 
said Little Black Sambo. 

“What will you give me if I don’t?” said 
the tiger. 

“I will give you my beautiful little red 
umbrella,” said the poor little boy. 

“How could I carry an umbrella,” said the 
tiger, “when I walk on all my feet?” 

“You could tie your tail in a knot on the 
handle,” said the little black boy. 

“That would do very well,” said the tiger. 
“Give it to me at once.” 

So he went away with Little Black Sambo’s 
beautiful little red umbrella saying, “Now I 
am the finest tiger in the jungle.” 

Poor Little Black Sambo went away cry¬ 
ing because the tigers had taken away all 
his clothes. 


126 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Soon he heard a terrible growling. 

“Oh, dear, oh, dear,” said Little Black 
Sambo, “there come all the tigers to eat 
me up.” 

So he hid behind a tree and peeped out 
to see what was wrong. There sat the four 
tigers in a circle quarreling about which was 
the finest. 

At last they grew so angry that they all 
jumped up and threw oft Little Black 
Sambo’s clothes, so they could fight. Then 
they all began to scratch each other with 
their sharp claws and bite each other with 
their big strong teeth. 

They came rolling and tumbling and biting 
right to the tree where Little Black Sambo 
was. 

Little Black Sambo jumped out from be¬ 
hind the tree and ran to his clothes and put 
them on. He quickly hid again behind the 
tree. 

Then one of the tigers started to run away, 
but another one caught him by the tail. 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


127 


The first thing they knew, they were fun¬ 
ning in a ring around the tree screaming and. 

scratching and growling. 
Each one tried to kill the one 
in front of him. 

Faster and faster ran the 
tigers. They grew hotter 
and hotter every min¬ 
ute. At last they melted 
into butter. 

Black Sam¬ 
bo came out 

from behind 
the tree and 

looked at the 

butter. “That 
is nice butter,” 
said he. “I 
wish I could 
take it home 
for supper.” 

, J , , Just at 

‘Sb he ram to a palm tree and peeped 

out to see what the matter was” that moment 




128 


FIRESIDE STORIES 


Black Jumbo came along. He was coming 
from work and had a big dinner pail. 

Black Jumbo and Black Sambo put the 
butter into the pail and took it home. 

When Black Mumbo saw the melted but¬ 
ter, wasn’t she pleased! 

“Now,” said she, “we’ll all have pancakes 
for supper!” 

So she got flour and eggs and milk and 
butter. Then she made a huge big plate of 
most lovely pancakes. 

And she fried them in the melted butter 
which the tigers had made. They were just 
as yellow and brown as little tigers. 

And then they all sat down to supper. 

Black Mumbo ate twenty-seven pancakes. 
Black Jumbo ate fifty-five. But Little Black 
Sambo ate a hundred and sixty-nine, because 
he was so hungry. 




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